To Dan or Not To Dan
by Danican
Summary: Chuck or Dan? Dan or Chuck? She thought she knew the answer and then along came...The Kiss.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Au Revoir

She sits quietly at her dressing table, taking off her makeup and smoothing her hair. Normally she would have stayed longer, at least long enough to unravel Chuck's outburst and to comfort Serena as her world fell apart, but tonight she couldn't find the energy or the will. She knows she's off her game but isn't sure what she's feeling-forlorn, maybe. Yes, forlorn, she decides. A word that sounds so much like "fog horn" and somehow describes her mood precisely. A low, droning distress signal sent out into the night air, warning others not to get too close.

She thinks it's Serena when she hears the elevator, and goes out to greet her, to make amends. She prides herself on being a good friend but she wasn't one tonight. As she turns the corner, she sees Dan. _It's Dan Humphrey_, she thinks, and then wonders why he's always "Dan Humphrey". Why she can't allow herself to just call him Dan.

He talks of walking and thinking and she begins to sense where he's headed. Her heart beats faster as she realizes that he's finally going to push them to that turning point. He wouldn't have come here, especially after their conversation about parting ways, unless it was important. He tells her what they're both thinking and she's momentarily annoyed-After all, who is he to tell her what she's thinking?-until she realizes that he's right. The foghorn in her head blares louder, trying to warn them both to stay away, change course, but he moves toward her. Touches her shoulder, repositions her dress strap that has fallen. He's gathered the courage to come here but she can see in his eyes that he's faltering; her eyes encourage him to forge ahead. Not until he seems unsure does she become sure.

The kiss is urgent and speaks to months of foreplay. Eventually he sinks in and she follows, moving to a slower and more passionate pace. Momentarily she thinks about how the kiss is like their interactions-urgent then slow, urgent then slow. Then she stops thinking.

When they finally pull apart, he quips, "Well, I think we have enough data points now to decide what we are. I'm leaning toward 'frenemies with a touch of passion' but my report isn't complete."

He smiles at her and she smiles back. She's leaning toward "confused with a major dose of hormones" but leaves it at that.

He turns to go, looking back over his shoulder a final time before he walks into the elevator. She lifts her hand to wave but he's already in the elevator and doesn't see her. _Waving? Really, Blair?_ she thinks, thankful that he missed it. Dan Humphrey is decidedly messing with her mojo.

*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»

"I'm going to Dad's for the week," she tells her mother on the phone the next morning. In the span of a half hour, she's already packed her bags and left both Darota and Serena quick notes. She'll get on the earliest flight, even if she has to go via Iceland. She needs to leave.

As the car takes her to the airport, she toys with the idea of calling Dan, or at least texting him. Ultimately she decides against both, rationalizing that 7am is too early for either. In truth, she wouldn't know what to say. "Thanks for the kiss. It was awesome. Awesome enough that now I'm totally mixed up. So, gotta go! Au revoir!" No, she needs a clean break. She needs time to think, clear of Dan Humphrey and, even more so, clear of the UES.

Until now, it's been about Chuck. Easy question, easy answer. A strong woman needs a strong man, she believes, and Chuck is that man. He's indulgent but not excessively so. He loves her but doesn't allow her to become complacent. She constantly has to work to maintain their relationship but anything worth having is worth working for, she's always told herself. He's a hard man to love, so it's an odd source of personal pride that she's gone against the status quo and has loved him anyway. Loved a man who few others would.

*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»

Her days in France are quiet, just as she'd hoped. The weather at the vineyard is beautiful and Cat is her constant companion. Her dad and Roman don't ask a lot of questions, just happy to have her in their fold for a few days. One day her mom and Cyrus come from Paris and they have a family dinner at the huge farmhouse table that she loves. It's wooden and worn and different from any table she's ever known because it inspires…comfort. She watches as her mother playfully slaps Roman on the shoulder after a particularly well-placed joke and her dad and Cyrus talk quietly in the corner, Cyrus advising him on loopholes in trademark laws. Gradually everyone reconvenes and the couples naturally migrate toward each other, drawn by a gravitational pull back into their natural orbits. There's a comfort in both partnerships, she realizes, an ease that was never there when her parents were married. Even in their best times, there was never ease. Passion, fighting, making up, certainly, but never ease.

The next afternoon, after her mom and Cyrus leave and her dad and Roman take a drive into town for groceries, she looks through the bookshelf and settles on Hemingway's _For Whom the Bell Tolls_. The afternoon is humid but not uncomfortable and she sits on the swinging chair, lifting the skirt of her sundress to allow her legs to enjoy the sunshine. Soon she is so engrossed in the book that she doesn't hear the tell-tale crunching on the gravel road. It's nearly at the circular drive before she looks up and sees the black car with darkened windows. For a brief moment, she thinks, _It must be Dan-he's come_, but quickly dismisses the thought, knowing that Dan would choose a 1970's Citroen rental over this austere town car. She doesn't even consider that it may be Chuck until a familiar pinstriped pant leg emerges from the back door. The driver emerges as well and pulls an overnight bag from the trunk and leaves it on the top step before getting back into the car and driving away.

To say she's surprised is an understatement. She could never imagine Chuck in this world and she still can't, even though he's now only feet away. He smiles mischievously and produces a large bouquet of purple tulips from behind his back.

"Chuck, what are you…?" She accepts the flowers as he kisses her lightly on the cheek.

"I've missed you, Blair," he says as they sit down on the veranda bench, "and I though you might like to know that." He smiles again and turns slightly to kiss her other cheek. "Equal love for both cheeks," he whispers into her ear. "We are in France, after all."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Decisions, decisions, decisions…

He's restless, remembering the kiss. He'd intentionally left quickly to give her space, breathing room. He wants her to understand that he has feelings but also realizes that for her it takes more time. Nice-guy Nate slept with her best friend. And Chuck… Well, Chuck Bass did a real number on her. So he understands why she's wary and he doesn't want to push her. Hell, if he's completely honest, he hadn't been looking for this either. This…thing…they have inched forward so slowly that it had integrated itself into him before he knew enough to drive it away.

When she doesn't call, he's tempted to call her and get a sense of what she's thinking, but he resists. She has his number and she knows where to find him, so he decides to keep the ball in her court for a while. Her kiss had been warm and giving but he knows that the heat of the moment isn't always an accurate indicator of true feelings. No, best to leave her be and just steel himself for whatever she lobs back to him, even if it's only friendship. He can be okay with just friendship, he thinks. He hopes.

He fills the first days with books, movies, writing. Of his many works in progress, he chooses to focus on his story about an Aboriginal man who saves his son from a certain death by feeding him a native Australian root. This story, he figures, reminds him nothing of Blair and helps distract him from his phone. And his e-mail. And his front door.

When his phone does ring, it's his dad inviting him for dinner. They're unsure what's going to happen with Lily and need the family close. He agrees to come and welcomes the opportunity to focus on something different.

When he arrives, he's greeted by Eric. "Glad you're here, Dan" he says. "We're all about being upbeat tonight. All positive, all good. So roll out some knee-slappers."

"Knee-slappers?" Dan answers. "How old are you, like eighty?"

"Good start," Eric says as he smiles and turns. "Not your best work, but a good start."

The dinner is lively and cheerful. They talk about Lily's legal troubles and Lily proclaims that she's "very optimistic" and has enlisted "the best New York has to offer" in terms of legal representation and then she promptly changes the subject to Spring break plans. Eric and Serena talk of the how hip "staycations" have become and claim that they're looking forward to hanging around the City all week. Dan chimes in with a "definitely-all the rage", admiring that they're staying home to support their mother.

"So, is Blair part of this staycation plan too?" Dan asks Serena, quickly biting into a roll and then refolding his napkin, hoping to appear blasé.

"Nope," Serena answers casually, pouring more water. "She left for France a couple of days ago to see her dad."

"Wow," Dan shoots back quickly. He's unsure whether to be offended that Blair didn't tell him personally or buoyed by the idea that their kiss may have affected her enough that she needed to get away to process what it means. He decides to choose the latter-why not?-and says cheerfully, "Well, that's great! Great for her!"

"Yeah," Serena says as she takes a sip of water. "Well, I'm sure it's all R&R now, but just wait until Chuck rolls in!"

"Chuck?" Dan asks, much too loudly. Damn, damn, damn. The whole table turns to look at him as he tries to regroup. "I mean, I guess I just thought Chuck was here helping Lily work things out."

"Charles has been very helpful," Lily mentions. "He's just taking a quick trip to France, I believe in the hopes of winning back Blair's heart. He mentioned to me just the other day that he's finally realized that she's his one true love and nothing is going to stop him this time. It's all very romantic."

Lily turns to Rufus, brushes a crumb off his cheek and plants a peck. Serena smiles, rolls her eyes and makes what looks to be a heart shape with her fingers. Ugh. Dan is grateful that at least Eric has sense enough to appear unaffected by this heart-warming story, as he leans back in his chair, makes a thumbs-down gesture that only Dan can see, and mouths "tough break". For one small moment, Dan wonders how Eric has come to realize that this is a "tough break" for him. For the next hundred moments, he only feels an overwhelming sense of dread.

"Hey, Dad, speaking of getting away, I think I'm going to head up to Mom and Jenny's for a few days. Get off the grid, work on some writing. I'm turning off the cell, so don't worry about me."

He stays through dessert so as not to arouse suspicion but leaves as soon as he's able and stops at the loft only long enough to throw some clothes in a bag before making his escape. He allows himself to think about the situation as he drives north, but vows to put it out of his mind as soon as he hits the Hudson city limit.

The part that bothers him most isn't that Blair can't get over her ex-God knows he went back to Serena more times than he cares to admit-but that she's going back to Chuck Bass. The man who's ripped out her heart time and time again. The man who offered her to his uncle in trade for a hotel. The man who took advantage of Jenny and many others. He still doesn't understand how this woman, confident in so many ways, doesn't understand that she deserves more. He's tried talking to her about it-testing the effect of heart-to-hearts versus light-hearted jokes versus just staying quiet-but he can see in her eyes that nothing has made a difference. Somehow she doesn't see that she's worthy of more. So instead of telling her, he's tried to show her that men can be trusted. That unlike her dad, some men don't leave. That unlike her boyfriends, some men don't cheat.

He reaches his mom's at 2am and lets himself in. For the first time in hours, he relaxes. This is the refuge he needs, he realizes, as he peels off his jeans, shuts off his phone and settles down, exhausted, on his mother's couch.

*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»

Blair wakes to the sound of mumbling outside her window and parts her curtains just as Chuck yells, "I can barely hear you, Stephen! There's practically no coverage in this God-forsaken place!" She lets the curtains drop quickly before he sees her and she heads back to bed.

It must be romantic that he's come all this way to see her, even if he's now calling it "God forsaken". Last night he told her that he loved her as they walked under the moonlight. He hadn't asked for forgiveness, since that isn't "the Bass way", but he'd told her of rethinking some of his past decisions. He was even somewhat understanding about her insistence on only chaste physical contact. He's trying, she thinks, and that's a hell of a lot more than he's done before. She realizes that she needs to try too; that the only way to know whether this is right is if they both give everything at the same time, instead of reverting to their usual teeter-tottering efforts where one is always down when the other is up.

"Chuck!" she calls out the window cheerily. "Let's have some breakfast!"

He responds by sticking a finger in his non-cell ear and walking toward a grove of trees, away from her window. She's momentarily offended, until she reminds herself that taking offense isn't part of trying.

After slipping on a sundress and putting her hair into a loose ponytail, she patters downstairs where her dad and Roman are slicing, dicing and cooking in the kitchen.

"Well, good morning, sweetheart!" Roman says cheerfully. "We're making breakfast for you and your beau. You kept to yourselves last night-we hardly had a chance to talk with him."

"Roman, let her be," says her dad. "There's time enough for that today."

They sip their coffee around the table as they wait for Chuck to join them. Finally Blair goes outside and walks a quarter mile down the drive before she finds him, still on the cell.

"Chuck, it's breakfast" she says, pointing back toward the house. He puts three fingers in the air indicting that he just needs three more minutes and then turns to continue his conversation. Blair also turns and walks back toward the house. She thinks about Dan, even though she's vowed to put him out of her mind. She thinks about how he's told her that she deserves better than Chuck and how every time he's said it, she's secretly thought that Chuck is the one who deserves better than her. Now she wonders.

He finally appears 40 minutes later, muttering apologies. During breakfast, he's distracted and excuses himself twice to take calls. Blair finds herself embarrassed and making excuses, lying about how the calls relate to Chuck helping Lily, even though she knows the calls are about Chuck helping himself.

That afternoon they decide on a picnic lunch in a nearby glen and Blair packs a basket while Chuck showers. He's promised her that he's completely devoted to spending time with her and will prove the point by leaving his cell behind. He walks down the stairs looking clean and handsome, like all she could ever hope for. All she could hope for, certainly, but she's beginning to wonder whether what she hopes for is the same as what she wants.

"Chuck? Remember when we were together before and we were into the role-playing? Making each other jealous? Why do you think we did that?" She looks down, rubbing a finger along the edge of the countertop.

Chuck lets out an audible sigh. "Blair, let's just-"

"No, this is important. I need to know. Why did we do that?" She hears her voice go up an octave as she looks into his eyes. "Why was us just being us not enough?"

"Blair, it's not enough because we're not _boring_." He walks over and puts his hand on her waist. "We're not the pathetic, sit-home-watching-TV-eating-pizza types, Blair. That's just not who we are."

"But if we love each other, shouldn't just spending time togeth-"

By now Chuck is visibly annoyed. "Blair, could you go ahead and give me the punch line of this little therapy session because if we're just going to talk about meaningless what-if scenarios then I might as well be working."

That's when she knows. She knows. It's all so laughably clear now that in retrospect, she wonders how it took so long. How had she mistaken sacrifice for love? Why had it seemed romantic that their shared interests rarely intersected unless they were enacting revenge or rolling in bed? Why was the thrill of the chase worth more than the prize itself? A sense of relief washes over her. She knows.

Chuck sees her smile and mistakes it for acceptance. He walks back over to her, puts a hand on either cheek and kisses her. She allows it, as a final confirmation that his kiss no longer holds any power.

As she pulls away, she smiles unconvincingly and sits down on a nearby chair. This isn't something she can explain to Chuck. Not now and certainly not here. She knows that she needs to get back to Dan so they can explore this-whatever this is-without the burden of Chuck Bass looming over them. She wants to sit watching pathetic movies and eating pathetic pizza without scrutiny before they inevitably have to emerge into the glare of the real world. She wants to just _be _with Dan. She wants to learn to enjoy her own company. She wants to breathe.

"Chuck, I'm sorry. It must be the pâté. I'm feeling a little nauseated." She puts her head into her hands. "Dad!"

Her dad emerges-suspiciously quickly-and asks what's wrong. When she explains, he tells Chuck that he'll "take over from here with chicken soup and holding back hair if she needs to vomit." Blair looks down so Chuck can't see her smile. Her dad has always been extremely squeamish and would never volunteer for vomit patrol without an ulterior motive. Sure enough, within minutes Chuck has not only called for his car but has decided to wait outside under the guise of "enjoying the French sunshine before, unfortunately, having to leave".

The next day, Blair heads home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Delicious Torment

She sends him a text from De Gaulle airport, while she's waiting for her connection. _Finished that report?_ Then she sends another, after deciding that the first one may be too obscure and that he may, in fact, be a bit peeved that she went off to France without even letting him know. _Coffee usual place 3 tomorrow?_ and then adds _Want to see you_ and sends it quickly, before she loses her nerve.

She checks her phone a few times while she waits but doesn't expect to hear from him since it's still early morning in New York. When she gets off at JFK and she still hasn't heard back, she begins to wonder. For the first time, she realizes that there's a chance she may have blown it with Dan. She's been so wrapped up in her own thoughts and sorting through her feelings for Chuck that she's never stopped to think that he may just not be interested. He seemed happy after the kiss but maybe that was just politeness! Or temporary post-kiss euphoria! She takes a few deep breaths, reminding herself that any post-kiss euphoria that Blair Waldorf inspires must obviously be far from temporary.

She feels better when she's finally home. This is her turf, her domain. While she relaxes on the bed, Darota putters around her room, unpacking her bags and filling her in on the latest off of Gossip Girl. Apparently Penelope got so drunk at a fraternity party that she took off her blouse. Ugh. Blair makes a mental note that she'll have to have a talk with the minions about this lowbrow "girls gone wild" behavior. She's only away for one week and, sure enough, all hell breaks loose.

At 2 o'clock, she takes a car to Third Rail Coffee. She wants to be sure she's there on time, considering he's essentially been waiting for her for a week. Although she's still not heard from him, she decides it's almost romantic and certainly very _An Affair to Remember_-esque that they're just going to meet up in their favorite coffee shop without the need for anything as rudimentary as a confirmation. She wonders what will happen when they see each other; whether it'll be awkward at first or whether they'll just continue on where they left off the week before.

The plan isn't seeming quite as romantic by 3:30, when he still hasn't shown. Maybe he's standing her up, like he did for the Beuys exhibit. Or did she stand him up? It's a chicken-and-egg mutual dissing that she's never quite gotten to the bottom of... She calls the driver and has him take her to Brooklyn. She suspects that Dan is trying to prove a point, and he's probably earned that right, but this is becoming annoying.

He's not at the loft either. Doesn't answer her calls, doesn't respond to her texts, doesn't show up at coffee and now has the nerve not to be home. She begins to falter and wonders whether he's another variation on Chuck. Whether he's happy to have her around when it's convenient or when he's in the mood, but easily tosses her aside if she's not at his beck and call.

Eventually she decides it's time for desperate measures. Although she's tried to avoid it, she resorts to calling Serena.

"Bonjour, B! How was la belle France?" Serena asks.

"Great! Fabulous! Hey, do you know where Dan is? He knows my English Lit TA and I need an e-mail addy." She feels bad for lying to Serena, especially in light of Serena and Dan's history, but she can work that through later. For now, she just needs to find him.

"Oh yeah, he went to Hudson. Wanted to get off the grid. You know Dan-he likes to hibernate. I think he'll be back on Sunday."

"Thanks, S. I'll talk to you later." She ends the call and steps back into the car, turning off her cell to enjoy a few minutes off the grid herself. Now that she knows where Dan is and realizes that he's been MIA not out of anger or spite but because he's seeking refuge at his mother's, she can wait. This is actually good, she tells herself. It'll give her time to really think about whether she wants her "frenemy with a touch of passion" to stay just that or become something more. She's pretty sure she knows the answer but she doesn't mind devoting a few more hours to mulling over exactly what it would be like if she and Dan were together. Yes, she decides emphatically, spending time thinking through every detail of being with Dan is a difficult sacrifice, but it's one she's willing to make. All for science, or the greater good, or something like that.

When she returns home, Darota is in a tailspin. "Mr. Eric just call and say you should call him back RIGHT AWAY! He say it a matter of life and death!"

Blair knows that Darota loves nothing better than to brew drama, so she's skeptical that Eric, of all people, has called with a "life or death" message but to quiet Darota, she calls him back.

"Blair, thank God! Listen, I'm sorry but I think I just totally screwed up." He sounds guilty and she starts to worry. "See, Chuck called for my mom. I think he was drunk or something. Anyway, I asked him how France was. Just to make conversation, you know?"

As much as Blair likes Eric, she's not in the mood for long stories, especially long stories involving Chuck Bass.

"That's nice, Eric. Thanks for letting me know!" Why does everyone insist on giving her Chuck updates? These people will definitely need to be retrained. She's about to hang up when he starts again.

"No, that's not it though. He starts saying how France was horrible-something about how you were moody-and… well…I said that maybe it was because you missed being around Dan-"

"You said WHAT?" Now he has her full attention. "Eric, why would you say that? And to Chuck of all people?"

"I'm sorry! He was drunk and being rude and I- Well, I blew it."

"But how did you know-" She's completely confused. Of all their friends-close friends-Eric van der Woodsen is the one who's pieced it together? "Actually, never mind that. So what happened?"

"He went off, Blair. He went on this big rant and then suddenly went totally silent and hung up. I tried to tell him that I had no idea what I was talking about and it was just a random comment but I don't think he believed me." Eric is obviously distraught, so distraught that Blair can't be angry.

"Thanks for letting me know, Eric. I appreciate it." She rings off and regroups. She knows Chuck in this mood and she knows Chuck drunk. Chuck in this mood _and_ drunk is a volatile combination. She's suddenly glad that Dan's in Hudson for the next couple of days, giving Chuck a chance to sober up and to calm down.

Serena comes home a half hour later. She giddily tells Blair that she wanted to get everyone together for a little welcome back soiree, but it's not going to work. Nate's with his dad, Dan's in Hudson and Chuck suddenly had to leave on some business upstate. "So it's just us girls!" she says, doing a little hula dance.

Chuck having "business upstate" can only mean one thing. Damn.

"Sorry, S, but you're going to have to go solo. I have to leave. Right now." She grabs her purse and yells for Darota to call the car.

The ride to Hudson seems endless. Underway, she calls in a favor to one of her mom's friends who has connections at the DA's office and gets Alison Humphrey's address. Every once in a while she barks out, "Can't you drive any faster? This isn't a trip to granny's!" until she eventually notices that her helpful driving instructions only seem to inspire the chauffeur to step on the brakes.

They finally near an old but well-maintained duplex. An old, well-maintained duplex adorned with an animated Chuck Bass and a stone-faced Dan Humphrey on the front lawn. "Pull over here!" Blair insists. She's not sure what she was expecting but she knows that this isn't it and she needs a moment to think.

She watches Dan and Chuck on the front lawn. This is the second time in a week that she's seen Chuck in an environment completely foreign to his own. She's not surprised to see that he looks out of place here in Hudson but she is surprised to see that he looks-somehow smaller. As for Dan, who's wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans… Well, he would probably look pretty comfortable and, to be honest, impressively hot if he weren't busy being verbally accosted by Chuck Bass.

She toys with the idea of going over to them and putting a stop to whatever's going on but just as she moves to open the door, she stops. Adding herself into the mix will just make things worse. She's not sure what to do but she knows that she doesn't want them to start this way. She and Dan have taken a very small step onto a completely new path and up until now, it's been, well, kind of… pure. A confrontation straight out of _Jersey Shore_ is not what she wants them to look back on as the start of their journey. So she stays inside the car and watches.

She knows these two men well and can glean what's going on despite not being able to hear a word. Chuck is quick to anger and not afraid to show it. His repertoire includes a slow boil as well as an explosive bravado, and he uses both to his advantage. Dan tends to hold things inside, as he appears to be trying to do now. He'll let things slide until he reaches a breaking point and then it's no holds barred.

Sure enough, Dan has suddenly sprung to life. He's clearly upset and is waving his hands and pointing a finger at Chuck, as if there's an ultimatum on the line. Then, just as suddenly as he started, he's done. He turns and slowly walks toward the house. Blair smiles. No one turns his back on Chuck Bass…except for Dan Humphrey, apparently.

Blair cranes her neck to find where Dan has gone. From this vantage point, she can see part of the house but not the front door. Suddenly the car door opens and Chuck slides in next to her.

"Fancy meeting you here," he says, reeking of alcohol. He inches closer and puts a hand on her thigh. "Don't worry, Blair. You'll be happy to know that this was yet another Bass Victory." Chuck shakes his head and feigns sympathy. "It's always a sad state of affairs when someone doesn't realize that he's out of his league."

She's been waiting for this moment-for the right moment to claim as her own-and it's finally here. She decisively peels his hand off of her thigh and sits up straighter. "The thing is, Chuck, you haven't won. Winning doesn't happen on front lawns-well, unless it involves mallets and hoops, I guess." She smiles at her own joke, feeling confident. "I'm not a prize, Chuck. You can't stick a flag on me and claim me as your own whenever it pleases you. I'm someone you have to earn and, I'm sorry to say it but-" She shakes her head, doing her own variation of feigned sympathy, "I am, and always will be, out of _your_ league." She gives him a sarcastic smile and slides toward the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think there's someone who doesn't know he's waiting for me."

She steps out of the car and walks toward the house, careful to use the driveway since the lawn looks like it's hungry for heels. She walks confidently and knocks on the door determinedly. This is it. This is finally it. Her bravado only wavers slightly when Dan appears behind the screen door.

"Blair?" He's obviously completely surprised to see her but regains his footing quickly. "Wow, well, not that I'm unappreciative of visitors, per se, but maybe next time you can bring Nate or Serena instead of Chuck."

"Well, not that I'm unfond of road trips, per se, but I prefer them to be with a Humphrey so I can show off my navigational skills to their full advantage." He smiles, but it's fleeting and sad, and she realizes that this isn't the time for them to hide behind banter. She catches his eyes and softens. "Dan, I didn't come with Chuck."

Dan looks genuinely confused but he opens the screen door and gestures her into his mom's living room. Blair closes not only the screen door but the regular door behind her, satisfied that she's finally shut the door on Chuck Bass.

"Listen, Blair, I know you and Chuck went to France and he told me that you guys are back together. I get it. I don't like it but I get it. I just wish-" He paces a few steps away and then walks back toward her. "Actually, forget it. It doesn't matter what I wish." He smiles at her wanly and shrugs his shoulders.

"But it does matter what I wish," Blair responds, "and-eww, I can't even believe I'm saying this, it sounds so Disney princess- what I wish for is you." She shakes her head and sticks out her tongue in self-disgust. He laughs and looks her in the eyes, searching for some kind of affirmation.

"Blair, that's…wow, well that's great. But the thing is that I don't want to be in some Chuck Bass love triangle. He obviously still has feelings for you and I know you guys have a long history and…"

Blair stops him. "I don't know why you'd assume that I'd be willing to be in a love triangle with Chuck Bass. I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but I'm much too good for him." Then she raises an eyebrow at him. "Of course if you've developed feelings for him, well, I suppose I'll have to do the honorable thing and step aside."

He laughs, finally relaxing, but she has to be sure. "Dan", she looks in his eyes, willing him to understand. "Chuck and I are completely done. And, I guess I want to see if we could maybe be more than just frenemies, even if the frenemy thing does include passion."

"Well, I don't know," Dan teases. "I don't believe you've submitted your report, which means that, officially, my report still stands."

"Actually," she says, steeling her last ounce of courage, "my report is in a non-verbal format." She plays with a strand of her hair, suddenly nervous. She'd vowed that she would put herself on the line with him if he gave her a chance, that she wouldn't resort to game playing, but this is a whole lot of honesty. She wonders whether she's said too much, been too open. Is this too fast? Not fast enough? Maybe-

This time it's his turn to quiet her mind, like she'd done for him the week before. "Come here," he says in a low voice, stepping close to her. "I want to tell you something."

He puts one hand on her waist and the other on the nape of her neck and then teases her with an agonizingly…deliciously…slow kiss in the hollow just below her ear. Then he does the same along her neck and down to her shoulder... Just as he senses she's about to buckle, he finally, reluctantly, stops tormenting her and moves to her mouth.

She's always known Dan Humphrey likes to play dirty and now she finally has the proof.

*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*» THE END *»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»*»


End file.
